Prominent conservative media figure Tucker Carlson issued a public apology Monday for having supported President Donald Trump in the 2024 election, telling his millions of followers that he was “sorry for misleading people.”
“I want to say I’m sorry for misleading people and it was not intentional. That’s all I’ll say,” Carlson said during an episode of his podcast aired on Monday, The Hill reported Tuesday. “You don’t want to be a conspiracy nut, but like, clearly, there were signs of low character, we knew that, but there are tons of people of low character who, like, outperform their character.”
Carlson had campaigned for Trump in the lead up to the 2024 election, speaking at multiple rallies in support of the president, including one where he likened the United States to a “hormone-addled 15-year-old” girl who needed a “vigorous spanking” from Trump. The former Fox News host has since broken with Trump largely over his decision to launch a war against Iran.
“I campaigned for [Trump], we're implicated in this for sure,” Carlson told his younger brother, Buckley Carlson, in the episode of his podcast that aired Monday, according to Occupy Democrats, a progressive media outlet.
“It's not enough to say, well, I've changed my mind, or like, oh, this is bad, I'm out. It's like in very small ways, but in real ways, you and me and millions of people like us are the reason this is happening right now. So I do think it's like a moment to wrestle with our own consciences. You know, we'll be tormented by it for a long time, I will be.”